“You love me,” she says, her tone hard and accusing. It’s all suddenly gone terribly wrong, and he doesn’t even know if it turned sour at the bar or on the elevator ride up.

“No,” he lies. “No, I don’t.”

She tries to slam the door closed, but he stops her, pushes hard until he’s standing in the room and she’s pacing like a tiger across from him.

“Okay yes,” he admits. “Look, this thing, whatever it is, it’s never stopped us from getting the job done. We always said it didn’t matter, right?”

“It’s not supposed to matter. That’s the point, Matt.” Her words cut like glass, but he refuses to bleed.

“Emily, come on.” She slaps his hand away when he reaches for her.

“This changes the job,” she says. “This changes everything.”

“So we move the plan around a little.”

“It’s not that simple!”

He sighs in frustration. “What do you want from me?”

She stands in front of him, all coiled anger and beauty. He thinks she might just slap him.

“If you die on me, Flannery…”

And then she’s kissing him on a warm exhale of whiskey, and he’s pulling her down to the bed until they’re twisted in sheets and loose clothes. He pins her for a moment, looking down at her with a smile. “I think you nailed her.”

“Really?” She grins, her cheeks flushed. “I was going to say you had him spot on.”

“No, the ‘I love you’ was definitely the crowning moment.”

She hums in agreement. “We should probably tell Carrera to check the hotel.”

“I’m on it.” He kisses her, heads to the other room for his cell phone.

“You know, we’re good at the ones with a couple,” she says like she’s hinting at something.

They sit alone in the mess hall, a bottle between them as they wait out the twilight hours until dawn.

He holds his glass tightly with both hands like a vice, and she is surprised by how quiet he can be, how sometimes he has nothing at all to say. He looks at her with tired eyes and whatever he sees in return makes him look away, take a drink, frown at the bitterness.

“I’m drunk,” he says. The confession comes out softly, like a secret no one else should know. She nods, and he doesn’t fight when she gently pries his fingers from his glass.

“They’ll be okay.” He tells this to himself, to the palms of his hands, but he glances up to make sure she heard. “I hate waiting.”

He expects no response, so she stays silent, counts the minutes they wait although she’s already lost track twice. He runs his hands over his face, clenches them in fists down on the table.

“I’m drunk,” he says again, just as softly, as though it’s still the first time. He taps fingers on the metal top, the echo loud. When he turns his hands over, fingers grasping at air, at nothing, she places a hand lightly in his.

*grins* Thank you for the awesome pairing. I started writing and realized Rodney and Teyla probably spend the least amount of time together out of the team... and now I'm all intrigued by what their dynamic alone would actually be like.

And Rodney/Teyla are very different in terms of personalities and the people they usually befriend. I love that in normal circumstances Rodney is somewhat intimidated by her... like the fact that an intelligent, beautiful woman that could kill him and doesn't even show much irritation toward him... that totally doesn't compute in his brain. *laughs*

You know what it is? They both giggle... they crack each other up and that is the most endearing thing EVER.

And oh yeah, oops! I was supposed to do an update. *facepalm* But she's doing much better... recovering from surgery quickly and with high spirits. The pathology reports aren't so good... lots of specialists and second opinions and blah. But nothing's definite yet, so I'm staying positive. :) *loves*

i love you forever and ever. And ever. but yes. awesome. and if you're so inclined, more? cuz you are just that awesome.

but if you are not inclined, thats ok too, cuz this is so totally awesome by itself, that... its awesome. (go me for being eloquent! you're writing leaves me worldless and having a limited vocabulary.)

LOL. I can't believe McTeyla never actually occurred to me before... because although I'm still sort of on the fence about them together romantically, I am head over heels for the dynamic. I think she finds his absurdities endearing. ;)

Okay, I'm such a lurker... I saw the words "Emily Lehman" and "Matt Fannery" and had to read this...It's so good. And you know that they totally roleplay all the time... I mean, what?I really like this, just thought you should know that it is really good.